Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories impacting the lives of the Filipino-American community in Los Angeles County.
FOLLOWING the latest surge in COVID-19 cases and the omicron variant, the United States’ second largest school district is ordering students and staff to get tested before they return from winter break. The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) announced on Monday, January 3 that K-12 students and staff must be tested, regardless of vaccination…
AHEAD of the new year, Los Angeles County reported over 20,000 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, December 30, 2021 in one of the highest daily case counts of the pandemic. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer reported 20,198 new COVID infections, three times the number of cases from a week ago. The new cases bring…
THE Los Angeles County Department of Health Services is delivering urgent expansion of the county’s free COVID-19 testing services amidst holiday demand. Demand for COVID-19 testing is steadily increasing as County residents rush to get tested before gathering with loved ones and as a direct result of LA County’s surge in new cases. The expansion…
An archdiocesan celebration ON Sunday, January 16th, 2022, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (555 W. Temple Street, Los Angles) will celebrate 500 years of Philippine Christianity and 35th Anniversary of the Feast of Santo Nino. This year’s theme is” Gifted To Give.” Fr. Rodel Balagtas, Pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale and…
SOME guests and members of the global MOTHER Movement pose for a souvenir photo during the Dec. 20 Christmas fundraising drive to raise money and send relief goods for the organization’s members who were impacted by Super Typhoon Odette. At the height of the typhoon, founder and president of the international group Perla Santos organized…
Filipino American breakout stars Bretman Rock and Bella Poarch joined community members at the first annual Historic Filipinotown Holiday Festival and Toy Distribution ahead of the Christmas holiday. Both Bretman and Bella handed out toys from Funko — a toymaker known for pop culture figurines — and mingled with local families as a diverse lineup for Fil-Am artists and talents entertained the crowd….
AHEAD of the holiday season, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health released new data on COVID-19. As of Thursday, December 23, there were 8,633 new COVID-19 cases and 24 new deaths. The county has recorded 1,585,313 positive cases to date and 27,512 deaths since the start of the pandemic. Currently, 770 people are…
THE Los Angeles Police Department will have its first Filipino American deputy chief in its 152-year history. Commander Donald Graham becomes the first person of Filipino descent to hold such a position, following an announcement from Chief Michel Moore made public on December 17. The announcement did not specify when the promotion takes effect. A…
LOS Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti recently signed Executive Directive 32, which seeks to improve access to city information and services for English language learners. “Los Angeles is a place of belonging where everyone can, and should, feel comfortable engaging in our civic process,” said Garcetti in a statement. “This new directive will help to ensure…
THE Los Angeles County Department of Public Health this week announced it has reached a new milestone in its fight against the COVID-19 virus. As of December 9, 15 million doses (15,233,218) of COVID vaccines have been dispensed since the first dose was administered one year ago. In addition to administering vaccines at about 1,270 fixed…
ON March 31, 1977, as a measles epidemic swept through Los Angeles, the county health department issued an ultimatum to the parents of the county’s 1.6 million schoolchildren: Get your kids vaccinated within a month or keep them home. The “no shots, no school” warning was a novel threat at the time. Since the 1920s…
CDC places county in its ‘high transmission’ category Los Angeles County, last year the region with one of the most deadly winter COVID-19 outbreaks, may once again experience another coronavirus surge this winter season, county public health officials said on Thursday, Dec. 9. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the…
Officials caution against possible surges, encourage unvaccinated residents to get their shots As the third year of coronavirus looms, the threat of the new omicron has been detected in Los Angeles County, public health officials confirmed on Thursday, Dec. 2. According to a county press release, a fully vaccinated individual returned to their residence in…
THE LA vs. Hate Coalition, led by the Los Angeles County Department of Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services (WDACS) and the LA County Human Relations Commission, announced LA vs. Hate United Against Hate Week 2021 from November 14-20. Through a unique, community-building blend of art, social media, and educational resources, the LA vs. Hate Coalition urges communities to reject…
Hate crimes against AAPIs increased 76% from 2019 to 2020 IN 2020, reported hate crimes and incidents increased 20% in Los Angeles County, according to the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations (LACCHR) annual hate crime report released on Wednesday, Nov. 10. In terms of numbers, countywide hate crimes jumped from 530 reported incidents…
LOS Angeles is now requiring patrons of indoor establishments such as restaurants, coffee shops, movie theaters, gyms, and salons to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19. The city’s new vaccine proof mandate took effect on Monday, November 8, but it won’t be fully enforced until Nov. 29. Called the SafePassLA ordinance, it is one…
After many letters to the city and a successful plea to the media spearheaded by neighbor Leticia Ruiz, the potential health hazard is finally getting under control FOR years, a Filipina resident of Los Angeles has lived next door to a hoarder whose accumulation of items and trash has become a health hazard for the…
The city’s mandate expands on Los Angeles County’s separate vaccine mandate, which was enforced on Thursday, Nov. 4 STARTING on Monday, Nov. 8, anyone visiting most public businesses in the city of Los Angeles will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter, per a new city ordinance….
A survey of 600 multiethnic residents finds that majority of LA ethnic communities support LA River revitalization SINCE the dawn of civilization, rivers have played an integral role in the building and preservation of villages, cities, and empires. Rivers are a key feature and asset to nearly every major metropolis across the United States —…
THE Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) this week provided the framework for lifting masking requirements at events and indoor establishments. For outdoor mega events involving more than 10,000 people, Public Health outlined that before masking requirements are lifted, all of the following criteria need to be met: L.A. County case rates must…
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) inspectors continue to visit businesses across the county every day to ensure compliance with required safety measures, including masking guidelines and vaccination verification, provide technical assistance, and respond to complaints of non-compliance. Between October 16 and October 22, Public Health inspectors visited 1,008 restaurants, 78…
2020 saw a 76% increase in anti-Asian hate incidents and crimes in LA County, ‘the capital of Asian America’ In 2020, anti-Asian hate crimes increased by a whopping 76% in Los Angeles County, according to a new county report that parallels the troubling trend of increased verbal and physical harassment against Asians in cities, counties…
LOS ANGELES — Christopher Manzo, a boy with curly brown hair and bright-blue-and-yellow glasses, has lived a third of his five years at home because of the pandemic. And he is more than ready for kindergarten. Hand in hand with his mother, Martha Manzo, he walks into the Blind Children’s Center, a low-rise building nestled…
LOS Angeles County’s COVID-19 hospitalization numbers and case rates dropped this week, as public health officials continue to tout the benefits of the vaccine. COVID-19 case rates for teens are 8 times greater for those unvaccinated than those vaccinated and for unvaccinated adults over 50, case rates are fivefold higher than those for their vaccinated…
The expected crowd doubled and quickly became standing-room-only at the fashion show of Beverly Hills-based designer Oliver Tolentino on Friday, October 8 for Los Angeles Fashion Week (LAFW). Tolentino presented a 33-piece couture collection on the rooftop of the Peterson Auto Museum, with its landmark red racing stripe façade, for the closing show of LAFW’s…
THE City of Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 6 signed off on a mandate that requires proof of the COVID-19 vaccine for everyone entering most public spaces. The measure — which applies to anyone going to bars, restaurants, shopping malls, salons, gyms, museums, and sporting events, among other spaces — is one of the nation’s strictest…
Christine Calderon-Caruso has been named Director of Development at St. Vincent Meals on Wheels, it was announced by SVMOW Executive Director Veronica Dover, effective immediately. Calderon-Caruso will lead fundraising for the organization’s senior nutrition programs, which serve 1,200 homebound seniors and other vulnerable individuals throughout Los Angeles. Founded in 1977 by Sister Alice Marie Quinn,…
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Los Angeles County dropped below 800 cases in Los Angeles County, according to new data. The LA County Department on Public Health on Monday, October 4 reported that 790 individuals remain hospitalized with COVID-19, marking the first time hospitalizations dropped under 800 since July. Also on Monday, the department confirmed 7 new…
With October as Filipino American History Month, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) marked the occasion with colored lights inspired by the Philippine flag from September 30 to October 2. October is the annual celebration of Fil-Am History Month in the United States to commemorate the arrival of the first Filipinos who landed in what is…
Los Angeles County is now administering Pfizer booster third doses after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle P. Walensky endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation for a booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in several population groups. The CDC also recommended a booster dose for those…
